Tax dollars go to state lawmakers' dry cleaning, cellphone bills

Liberal activist Erin Haick holds up a parody portrait of state Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, D- Medina, outside the state Capitol on Thursday. Tom and other lawmakers have recently been criticized for costly cellphone bills.

Sen. Tom says that he just happened to figure his actual cellphone use related to state work and oddly enough, every month it comes in a couple of dollars under the $75 per month limit that requires details of use. Sure senator, very believable.

When state senators tell you they need home offices, cellphones, dry cleaning paid for by the taxpayer, they are cheating a system with rules [that] were written by these senators to financially benefit these same senators. Money in politics is the problem of our times. State senators need to work in Olympia and not travel, not charge the public for “services” and not maintain home offices. They need to be in Olympia and work.